The Black Isle Brewery Story
Since its inception in 1998, Black Isle Brewery has consistently produced world class beers.
However, the driving force behind what we do has always amounted to something much bigger. We wanted to demonstrate that this can be done using naturally grown barley and hops, supporting organic farmers and growers who also care for the environment.
In the beginning, this wasn’t easy. A scarcity of organic hop growers placed limitations on beer styles and increased production costs. In the retail and hospitality sectors, awareness of organics and what it meant was also limited.
Today, whilst the cost of organic ingredients is still high (sometimes up to three times as much as non-organic), there is far greater awareness of the importance of looking after our environment and the crucial role that organic methods play within that process.
The brewery moved just up the road to a more modern facility in 2011 and at the same time there was an opportunity to purchase 130 acres of surrounding farmland. On the brewery farm, we have worked to increase biodiversity, planting over 7000 native broadleaf trees, reinstating hedgerows, digging new ponds and creating wetlands.
We now have two craft beer and pizza bars in Inverness and Fort William, bringing together locals and visitors from all walks of life. Both bars are vibrant focal points for those who want to enjoy a huge range of fresh, exciting beer, delicious pizzas and the finest local produce, much of which is grown or reared on our own farm.
DAVID GLADWIN, FOUNDER OF BLACK ISLE
David’s experience running wilderness-based businesses in the depths of the Scottish Highlands, prior to setting up the brewery, instilled in him the value of nature as it is.
"We understand that for many people ‘organic’ is not a tangible metric. It’s not always clear what its relevance or importance is to our natural world. For us, it is a way of life. Nothing to do with marketing, nothing to do with a sales angle. We live on an organic farm and everything we do here, from growing vegetables to rearing livestock, is done utilising sympathetic farming methods. We try to live and work with the land and nature, rather than on it and against it.
This translates to our beers, which are always made with 100% natural ingredients. It’s what we believe in and we believe our beer and our environment are better for it."
